Scammers Use Google Logo to Spread Malware

Google's Doodles are so cute! Oh and malicious, don't forget malicious.

Yesterday Google's homepage displayed a Doodle celebrating L.L. Zamenhof, the creator of the universal language known as Esperanto. However, security firm Barracuda Networks claims that scammers are taking advantage of the interest in the Google Doodle and using it to spread malware.

Clicking on a Google Doodle usually displays a list of search results associated with whatever the Doodle represents. CNet cites Barracuda Network's Dave Michmerhuizen who says his firm found 31 poisoned sites among the first 100 results displayed when users clicked the Esperanto Doogle. Twenty-seven of these in the first 50 sites alone.

A Google spokesperson said in a statement that many of the alleged malicious sites had already been removed:

"As you probably know, the use of popular search terms to target malware is neither a new vector nor unique to any particular search engine. We work hard to protect our users from malware, and using any Google product to serve malware is a violation of our product policies."

Read more on this here.